6 h. tour (Private tour)
(transportation + guided tour of Mystras castletown + short stop in Sparta + optionally stop for lunch or dinner at Mystras modern village)
As you disembark your ship, you board your private vehicle and enjoy an approximately 1.5 hours drive through the lush valley of Evrotas, until you reach modern Sparta, a city that doesn’t look at all as simple and remote as the descriptions about the ancient one let us imagine. Nowadays it is characterized by the beautiful architecture of the many neoclassical buildings in it and the several palm trees along the central avenue, at the end of which you will see the colossal bronze statue of Leonidas, the General, a legend of the ancient times. You can get off the vehicle there for a photo stop.
Afterwards you will start driving up the mountain to the ruined Byzantine city of Mystras. It is divided in 3 sections, surrounded by the ancient walls and has two gates, either to enter, or exit. There is one on the top level and one on the lowest one. Be prepared for extensive walking on a steep path made of stone and have your guide enter with you the most important of the remaining Byzantine churches, where you will see and hear explanations about the wall paintings and the floor mosaics. You will also see several foundations of houses where the nobles lived and the Palaces which are under restoration.
After the end of this visit, if time allows it, you can enjoy a lunch break in one of the small villages nearby and then return back to Monemvasia port.
